Following the Knicks' 117-112 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, Kanter spoke on the topic to the media.

"Sadly, I'm not going because of that freaking lunatic, the Turkish president," Kanter stated. "It's pretty sad that all the stuff affects my career and basketball, because I want to be out there and help my team win. But just because of the one lunatic guy, one maniac, one dictator, I can't even go out there and do my job. It's pretty sad."

Kanter is referencing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who put out an international warrant for Kanter's arrest back in 2017 after Kanter spoke negatively on the President's behalf. Kanter has also received death threats for his Turkish political stance.

"They've got a lot of spies there," Kanter continued. "I think I can get killed there easy. It would be a very ugly situation."